Live Like An Ancient Egyptian: Discovering the Secrets of the Ancient Egyptians

Live Like an Ancient Egyptian entices the reader to explore the richness of the perennially fascinating civilisation of Ancient Egypt through a clever collaboration of words and illustrations. Logically organised sections survey much well-worked material but it is heartening to see the way its presentation is nuanced. It is Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh, for example, who is picked out rather than the more obvious Rameses or Tutankhamun; misconceptions about slavery and serfdom are carefully addressed and clarified.

Digestible chunks of text by Claire Saunders are creatively illustrated by Ruth Hickson to deepen understanding. The timeline, for instance, helps the reader immediately to visualise how Cleopatra lived around two thousand years after the building of the pyramids and was as much Greek as Egyptian. The information is detailed (who knew so many types of bread were available?) but, apart from a short introductory paragraph, generally focuses on knowledge content rather than evidence.

Nevertheless, the authors are not afraid to admit that some things are not yet well understood - such as the way Egyptians ate their food. I also enjoyed the notes on cooking tiger nut cones, which explain how looking carefully at a 3,500 year old wall painting has enabled Egyptologists to come up with possible recipes.

The material is presented in different ways to round out the reader's experience. Diary entries, written from the perspective of Dedu, an ancient Egyptian boy, introduce a story element while activity spreads encourage the reader to have fun in a practical way, such as by making papyrus paper or mummifying an orange.

Overall this is a useful addition to the range of books on the Egyptians and will appeal to a wide audience of children who prefer their reading factual.

56 pages / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+